


Rival or Challenger?

by SammiBro



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Aka you can pick between Hop's Ending or Bede's ending, Brattyshipping, Headcanons used, Hinted at past feelings between Leon and Sonia, M/M, Multi, Spoilers, Two Endings, Unrequited Crush, trainshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21539515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammiBro/pseuds/SammiBro
Summary: The champion stared outside his window, lost in thought. How could he process such a sudden proclamation? Not only had his longest crush and rival, Hop, confessed his feelings, but also his newfound crush and rather quirky challenger, Bede confessed as well. They both had their quirks, they both touched the trainer in so many ways. However, there was a choice to be made, but what would the answer be?( Post Game + Main Story Spoilers for SwSh. At the end of the main part of this story, I will be including two endings, a Hop ending as well as a Bede ending. )
Relationships: Bede/Victor, Beet | Bede/Masaru | Victor, Beet/Masaru, Hop/Masaru | Victor
Comments: 30
Kudos: 189





	1. First Interactions

The champion stared outside his window, lost in thought. _How could he process such a sudden proclamation?_ Not only had his longest crush and rival, Hop, confessed his feelings, but also his newfound crush and rather quirky challenger Bede did as well. They both had their positives and negatives, they also both touched the trainer in so many ways. However, there was a choice to be made, but what would the answer be?

 _How did this all start?_ The trainer’s chocolate eyes slowly came to a close, a hand pressed against his face as he sat deep in thought. Maybe a good once over of the situation would help clear his head and make his choice a bit easier. Thankfully, he was at home with a nice cup of tea and his trusty Scorbunny. Together, they should be able to figure this out.

* * *

**Many Weeks Prior**

With unwavering footsteps, two new trainers found themselves walking towards a new journey. Each boy had their Pokemon, one having a Scorbunny, and one with a Wooloo and a Grooky. Neither knew how important, or life-changing this journey would become, not only for their lives but for all who lived in the beautiful Galar region.

After a little bit of exploring, the boys board the afternoon train to continue on. Their next goal is to register for the Gym Challenge in Motostoke. Once they find their seats, Victor quickly pulls out his Rotom phone, looking through his Pokedex while across from him, Hop seams to be searching their upcoming destination. Their knees bump and Victor can feel Hop’s overflowing energy. Chocolate eyes watch the excited frame of the glowing boy across from him. 

Now, to say Victor had completely innocent thoughts of his friend, would be a complete lie. They had been friends for almost a year now. When Victor had to move from his hometown of Sinnoh, his entire life had been thrown out the window. He loved his new home but, it was a hard change of pace. Hop was always there to offer a helping hand, however, the boy seemed to be completely oblivious of Victor’s feelings. However, that fact didn’t change anything in their friendship, thankfully. Victor decided to keep his feelings to himself to ensure nothing would change.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Victor found himself listening on Hop’s words- he seemed excited to do everything that was related to being a Pokemon trainer- that included camping. Victor found himself getting excited himself, after all, he and Hop often would camp with their moms. It was always such a fun time, however, it would be different camping by himself. Despite being a little afraid, Victor found himself being more excited than anything.

After a short ride and a small adventure through the Wild Area, the pair found themselves in Motostoke city. That’s when they finally parted ways, but not for long. They simply had different pit stops, Hop wanted to get signed up right away, while Victor wanted to do some shopping. After all, the wild area completely drained the new trainer of almost all his resources. Thankfully, there was a nearby Pokemon center, which was his perfect pit stop.

* * *

As the new trainer stepped closer to the building, his eyes landed on a rather pink trainer. At first glance, Victor wasn’t sure if the trainer was male or female, but that wasn’t Victor’s reason for staring. The pink trainer was ever so carefully holding a small Pokemon in his arms. Without even realizing it, and being careful not to be seen, Victor pulled out his Pokedex, quickly scanning the Pokemon. 

The device chirped to life and in a very robotic voice, spoke out a few quick words, “ _That Pokemon is Hatenna. If this Pokémon senses a strong emotion, it will run away as fast as it can. It prefers areas without people._ ” The dex alerted the pink trainer, who quickly turned towards Victor.

It was as if time had begun to slow down, Victor’s chocolate brown eyes widened at how powerful the other trainer’s glowing purple eyes seemed to be. It completely caught the new trainer off guard. Any words quickly melted off of his tongue. The trainer holding their Pokemon quickly pulled out a Pokeball, gently tapping their Pokemon before it returned to it’s home.

No words were exchanged between the two, and the pink trainer walked up to the arena- _were they also a Gym Challenger?_ _Would Victor see that person again?_ Most likely, next time he saw the other, Victor mentally promised to apologize for simply staring at the other. He was just honestly completely star-struck at that moment.

Victor pushed himself to start getting his supplies- after all, he had to sign up by the end of the day to get registered for this year’s cup. After getting his supplies, Victor found himself nearing the stadium, however, once his eyes landed on the small clothing store, he found himself stepping into the building before he could stop himself.

* * *

After almost an hour, Victor found himself stepping out of the building, completely broke but looking rather polished. He still had on his regular shirt, but he grabbed himself a white sweatshirt, due to some of his adventures being in snowy areas. He also changed his stylistic pants for something a bit more practical, just simple black pants. After all, he may love the ripped style, but it wouldn’t do him any good if he got stuck on something like he had earlier. He also picked up a pair of sunglasses, as again, some of the areas he would be traveling need that gear. It would be bright in some areas, mainly the snowy mountains and the dry mountains. He had the sunglasses tucked away, after all, they were a bit gaudy and he swore to only wear them when he had to.

Now being completely broke, Victor found himself carrying his slightly heavier bag to the nearby arena. Thankfully, Hop was already there, however when Hop looked at him, Victor stopped. Did Hop hate his new look? He mentally thought over himself- didn’t change his color or anything- nor did he change his eye color, despite finding the eye contacts with flames in them to be rather awesome. Victor found himself pulled from his thoughts when Hop stepped up to him and instantly began to praise his new clothes, “ _Wow! Victor, you look really good! I know there is a clothing store around here but I am already dressed and prepared for the journey. I will say, you are good at picking out stylish clothes!_ ” His reaction to Victor’s new clothes sent a wave of embarrassment over the poor trainer’s face.

Before Hop could completely ruin his crumbling facade, another trainer stepped between them. The pink trainer ever so casually pushed Hop aside, clearing the way for the registration desk once again. Victor found himself a bit shocked, after all, that was a bit rude and it seemed drastically different than the version he saw just an hour prior, of the other ever so carefully holding their Pokemon.

After having his conversation and presumably signing up for the event, the other stepped aside, not before casually brushing their fluffy hair out of their eyes. Once again, Victor found himself standing still. Almost like a Deerling caught in a streetlight. This time, however, time didn’t seem to stop and neither did the other. With a now a wave of almost elegance, the pink trainer brushed past them once again. 

Hop didn’t seem fazed at all by the pink trainer, if anything, he seemed completely irritated at him. In a tone, Hop didn’t use often, Hop growled out, “ _Seriously? What a piece of work._ ” Hop quickly pushed past his newfound anger and instead quickly began to pull on Victor’s sleeve, almost trying to pull him towards the counter, “ _Come on, let’s get signed up._ ”

* * *

After that, time seemed to blow past the two trainers. They chose their numbers, Hop picking 189 and Victor himself chose 227. Victor saw the pink trainer hanging around the main hall of the building, but he kept his distance due to Hop. They were instructed to go to the local Budew Inn, and so they did. Little did they know that their good friend Sonia would be there.

The afternoon passed faster than Victor would have ever guessed. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Team Yell causing quite a commotion, or if it was because of his excitement for the next day. It was quite late, and he couldn’t find himself able to sleep. Thankfully, the Budew Inn had a lovely garden in the back and it was open to all guests. Many Pokemon showed up at night, but Victor had no desire to catch any, after all, this was supposed to be a peaceful stroll.

Once he entered the garden and saw it was empty, Victor quickly pulled out one of his Pokeballs, before tossing it into the air. His trusty Scorbunny popped out of the ball and happily began to bounce on the ground beside him. The Pokemon let out a small yawn as well, however, it looked a bit restless itself. With a small frown, Victor gently picked up his Pokemon before sitting down on one of the nearby benches. With a brush from his bag, he began to gently groom his partner, which caused the small bunny to smile rather big. Without even realizing it, a rather beautiful Butterfree landed next to the pair. Its wings caused a gentle breeze to pass which drew Victor’s attention.

With a gentle hand, he reached out the Pokemon, which at first flinched, but after a few seconds, slowly fluttered close. Victor pulled out some snacks from his bag before offering them to the Pokemon. Within moments, the Butterfree was completely enamored with the new trainer. This caused Scorbunny to get excited, making him jump up and begin to run around the beautiful garden. Due to its happiness, the Butterfree’s wings began to give off a wave of beautiful sparkles, covering Victor completely. Honestly, he wished he had his Rotom Phone after all the Butterfree was completely beautiful at this moment.

A voice caused everything to stop. The voice made Butterfree suddenly dash back for the trees and Scorbunny return to Victor’s side. However, Victor knew that voice, he was more or less confused about why they would be here. From the darkness, Hop appeared. He had his classic smile, as well as some toy Pokeballs in a bag that hung off his shoulder. It was quite common to see the trainer practicing his tosses. However, what wasn’t normal was the way Hop’s face was stunned. Victor brushed it off as nothing as he stepped towards his friend, “ _Hey Hop. Did the garden also draw you out here?_ ”

It took a few moments, but the other seemed to come out of whatever daze he was in and began to act like his normal self, “ _Ah- Hey Victor. Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea to do a spot of training, after all, once we start his challenge, I am sure we aren’t going to have a lot of free time to do that._ ” 

After a few moments, the Butterfree ever so carefully floated out from the bushes, hovering next to Victor. It stopped giving off scales but the previously scattered ones still covered most of the Pokemon’s body. When Victor saw that, he instantly turned towards his friend, excitement in his chocolate eyes, “ _Hey! Can you please take a picture of Butterfree for me? She has some of her scales still on her body and I think it's pretty._ ”

With a quick nod, Hop pulled out his Rotom Phone, setting it to camera mode. The device quickly went to work, snapping pictures. At first, it listened, taking pictures of Victor and the Butterfree- but after a few snaps, it began to get a mind of its own. The phone suddenly flew over to Scorbunny, shocking the poor thing before chasing the Pokemon around the garden.

Hop tried to calm the situation, but that only made the device take clumsy, blurry pictures of Hop trying to grab it, with Victor being in the background trying to help in some, but mostly laughing at his friend’s rather mischevious phone. It wasn’t long until Butterfree began to shower the group with scales once again, making Victor and Hop both stop. They both stared at each other before they began laughing. Hop and Victor both sat down on one of the benches, Butterfree and Scorbunny happily sitting next to them.

However, due to Hop having too many pictures already, the only pictures that were saved were Hop’s embarrassing, blurry selfies. Hop instantly began to apologize, but Victor instead gently raised a hand to Butterfree, who quickly nuzzled into it, “ _Don’t worry Hop, I think Butterfree and me are going to be able to take many pictures. Would you like that?_ ” With a smile on her face, the Butterfree nodded, and Victor pulled out a random Pokeball from his bag, thankfully he had one with, otherwise, that would have been a little awkward.

Hop silently watched, letting Victor and Butterfree have their little moment. After Butterfree was in her ball, Victor let out a big yawn, as well as his companion Scorbunny. With a small smile, Victor gently picked up Scorbunny, holding him in his arms, “ _Hey Hop, I think we are going to head to bed, don’t stay up too late, okay?_ ”

Hop nodded, flashing the other a wide smile before standing up himself, “ _Yeah, I am only going to do some tosses for a little longer, after all, Rotom gave me enough of a workout earlier._ ” Victor stood up himself now, gently holding the sleeping Scorbunny against his chest, “ _Well night._ ” In return, Hop politely responded, “ _Good night!_ ” Victor found himself returning to his room, and promptly crashing in his bed, falling deeply asleep with Scorbunny still in his arms.

* * *

Little did Victor know about the actions going on with the waking world.

Back in the garden, Hop found himself staring at his Rotom-phone. After deleting his embarrassing pictures, he saw how the picture between Victor and Butterfree was there as well. The scales made his rival glow in the gentle light from the moon and a nearby light post. Victor also had the most beautiful smile, he truly looked happy at that moment. The longer Hop stared, the more he felt his face heat up. Despite his embarrassment and his pounding heartbeat, Hop didn’t delete the picture and silently decided to keep it on his phone. _What was going on…? Why was he thinking of such things about his mate Victor?_ Hop decided to ask his brother about it, but that would wait. Tonight he wanted to train, and that’s exactly what he did.

In one of the rooms above the garden, a curtain drew closed once the commotion calmed down. Inside the trainer found himself holding his face, he was completely confused about his actions. _What was going on and why did he keep running into that specific trainer?_ His Hatenna gently poked up from their bed, however, the trainer didn’t give his Pokemon a chance to fully wake up before returning to his original spot, “ _Sorry Hatenna. I thought I saw something outside. Let’s get back to bed…_ ”

The pink trainer laid down, but he felt himself thinking over what he saw. He couldn’t tell what they were saying, but he was more fascinated by how easily the first trainer tamed a normally shy Pokemon so easily. He felt like a Klink that was using Gear Grind. Thankfully, Hatenna knew exactly what to do, and ever so carefully Yawned towards her trainer. Within minutes, both were sleeping.

**Chapter 1 - End**

**Edit: 12-6-19  
** If you guys thought that Butterfree moment was cute, please check out this art by the amazing AliceCrown!  
<https://alicecrown.tumblr.com/post/189403031354/i-started-reading-fandomsxmuses-story-rival-or> **  
**


	2. Misunderstandings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I just wanted to thank everyone who has bookmarked/given this story some love! I really do appreciate it and it really drives me forward to keep writing this!
> 
> I would love to know who each of you guys are rooting for; Bede or Hop! Please comment below your opinions of the story so far and let me know who is capturing your heart more!

With newfound energy, Victor found himself getting dressed and ready for the day, after all, he was going to meet his fellow gym challengers as well as gym leaders. All of this was happening on Live TV as well. It was a drastic change from his somewhat boring life before all of this. Now he had a Pokemon and was well on his way to becoming champion.

In the hotel’s lobby, there stood Hop, practicing his throws- still. With a small frown, Victor stepped up to his friend, however, as soon as he got close, Hop stopped. Without giving Victor a chance to gently scold his friend, Hop’s energy instantly filled Victor’s own body. A rush of nervous, yet excited energy sent the new trainer’s frown away. With a cheerful, “ _Good Morning_ ” from Hop, Victor found himself quickly reciprocating, “ _Mornin’ Hop._ ”

With his arms now crossed and a somewhat serious look crossing his face, Hop began to ramble a little, and Victor didn't have the heart to stop his friend, “ _So this is it. Now my legend really begins! Watch out, Victor! I’ll beat you to Motostoke Stadium._ ” Now before Victor could even challenge the other back, Hop was already running. With a shake of his head, the trainer ran after his friend, laughing to himself all the way to the stadium. Thankfully, Victor didn’t run into anyone on the way there.

Once Victor arrived, he didn’t see Hop anywhere, but that didn’t worry the trainer. He knew his friend always rushed ahead, but eventually, Hop would pop back up, he always did. Taking care to make sure that his new uniform didn’t get wrinkled, Victor found himself dressing rather quickly. However, despite getting dressed fast, he still took the time to admire his uniform. After stepping out of the locker room, Victor found himself led to a waiting area. Silently, Victor stepped over to Hop. Neither boy said anything as they both waited for their cue. As soon as everyone was ready, the Pitch began. Rotom Cameras were everywhere, projecting video to the stadium viewers as well to the homes almost all Galarians. 

Even in the holding area, the crowd’s cheers were almost deafening. Thankfully, Victor found himself having no stage fright- which was a factor he was worried about. Now, the trainer honestly tried to listen to Chairman Rose, but the excitement of everything going on made him instead look around to take everything in. Victor watched as the Gym leaders took the field- all 8 of them. Next, it was the challenger’s turn. At first, Hop stayed by Victor’s side, but as they both took to the field, Victor stopped and truly began to look around. He felt like he belonged here… That he was meant to have a stadium full of people cheering him on. It felt- **right.**

It all went by in a flash of light, the next thing Victor knew he was already back into his regular clothes and Hop was walking towards him. His rival looked overjoyed- and Victor couldn’t help but mirror that same feeling. Hop began to go on and on about how the stadium was simply amazing, and Victor couldn’t help but listen with a smile. Before Hop could explode more, Leon stepped up, with the Chairman of course. 

All this talking was beginning to make Victor’s head spin- the Chairman introduced himself and gave his blessing- then Leon gave his mini-speech. At this point, Victor nearly wanted to go and take a nap back in his hotel room- but something caught him off guard. Before Leon left, Hop stepped forward, “ _Hey- Can we talk somewhere?_ ” In another odd moment, Hop turned toward Victor, looking more determined then ever, “ _I wanted to challenge you now, but I need to talk to Lee first. When we get to Turffield, I want to challenge you! I want to see how strong you have gotten!_ ”

With a nod, Victor waved at Hop, starting to walk away from the brothers, “ _That sounds good Hop! Thank you, Leon, for introducing me to the Chairman. I will see you at Turffield!_ ” That’s when Victor set out on his path- looking forward, excited for what Pokemon would stumble upon his path. 

* * *

By the time the young trainer left Motosoke, it was already nearly noon. Thankfully, his next destination wasn’t any more than a half-day away. However, Victor didn’t plan, after all, he was so excited to start his new adventure that he forgot to have lunch before he left the big city. Thankfully, just as Victor was about to stop and set up camp for a while, a familiar face came into view. Sonia and her trusty Yamper were looking at a nearby power plant. 

With a happy smile, Victor waved at her, and instantly in return she waved back. Sonia was the first to speak, her tone filled with joy and excitement, “ _Heya, Victor! You looked real ace out there during the opening ceremony._ ” In response, Victor gently began to rub the back of his neck, laughing out, “ _Trust me, I didn’t feel that amazing. Although, being in that Stadium filled me with something I have never felt before. It was incredible._ ”

A look of almost longing filled Sonia’s eyes, but it quickly melted away as she began to twirl her hair, looking around, “ _Oh, but where’s Hop?_ ” That caused Victor to suddenly think, after all, Hop did stay back in Motosoke with Leon- but his rival still hadn’t caught up with. _Did they pass each other or did Hop not leave the city yet?_

Sonia instantly noticed Victor’s hesitance in his answer, and quickly began to change the topic, “ _I am guessing Leon is talking his ear off, not to worry! Why don’t we make lunch? We can work together to make some incredible curry!_ ” Pushing away his small amount of worry, Victor nodded, smiling at Sonia, “ _That’s a great idea. Why don’t you put up the table and I will get the fire started._ ”

* * *

Back in Motostoke city, Hop had a serious expression on his face. With an equally serious, but worried look, Leon sat across from his brother. At first, Leon insisted on taking Hop somewhere to eat, like the local Battle Cafe, but he was completely surprised when his younger brother pulled him aside and asked to speak completely in private.

In Leon’s hotel room, that’s where the two siblings sat. Neither of them said a word, which was starting to scare Leon even more. Unable to stand the silence any longer, Leon stood up from his chair, slamming his hands on the table, his eyes wide, “ _What happened Hop? Did you get threatened by someone? Did something happen to Mum? You’re startin’ to scare me!_ ”

In response, Hop finally spoke, his face was a deep red and he had a slightly panicked look across his face, “ _Lee! I am sorry for scarin’ ya. I just… I don’t know how to ask you about this._ ” Another moment of silence, Leon slowly sat back down, his eyes were glued to his younger brother’s face, searching for what could be the problem. Finally, after Hop gently slapped the sides of his face, the younger brother found the words finally coming to him, “ _Lee- do you know… is it normal to feel- weird around your rival?_ ”

This caused the older, wiser brother to suddenly stop. His face went a little pale, but he quickly calmed down. After all, if this what Hop wanted, he would help him. After all, he loved his dear brother. He would help Hop in a way that no one helped him back when he and Sonia were dear rivals. Leon could only hope he wasn’t too late in helping Hop find his true happiness. Leon's only regret was that he didn't know Victor too well, but that's the unfortunate part of being the Champion. At least he could help from now on.

A small laugh escaped Leon’s throat before he sat back and crossed his arms, “ _Yeah. It’s normal to feel that way Hop. When did you start to feel this way about Victor? Did something happen to cause you to start feeling weird around him?_ ” This was something Leon wanted to know, after all, he hoped his brother wasn’t completely clueless but he had his doubts.

Silently, Hop gently began to scratch his cheek, looking away from his brother as his face began to light up once again. For some reason, his phone felt heavy in his pocket and the image in his head of Victor smiling with Butterfree next to him from the previous night made his heart beat faster. Leon noticed his brother growing a bit embarrassed but didn’t push him, after all, if he forced the information from his brother, Hop might not fully understand his feelings. 

After a few moments of agony for Leon, Hop finally began to explain the previous night. His eyes seemed to glow almost a honey-colored as he began to speak, “ _Ya’ see, I had a hankering for a lick of practice last night. You know how the Budew Inn has that back garden? Well, I was going to just train throwin’ ‘round some Pokeballs. But when I got to the garden, Victor was there. He just befriended a Butterfree, and that Pokemon was already sprinkling him with some sort of pollen or something. Whatever it was, it made him glow in the moonlight and well- ever since I found myself feelin’ a bit weird thinking of him or that night._ ”

Leon knew that look, he saw a younger version of himself in Hop at that moment. The Champion began to open his mouth- trying to think of the words to help his brother reach a different ending than himself. However before Leon could speak, Hop seemed to come to his senses, and a flicker of hope filled Leon’s heart- _did Hop figure it out himself?_ Pushing away from the table, Hop began to pack up his things, “ _I think I got it, Lee! I have a hankering I might be allergic to Butterfree’s pollen- I will try my best to make sure I avoid it. I must have got some in me, which has been making me feel all kinds of funny!_ ” Leon was so shocked by his brother’s ignorance, he wasn’t able to form any words.

Hop was a bit confused by his brother’s inability to speak, but simply brushed it off, “ _Well- You better go make sure you’re not allergic too! I need to go, Lee, after all, Victor is going to get ahead of me at this rate! I will give you a ring when I get my first badge!_ ” With that, the gym challenger left the Champion all alone in his room. After a few moments of pure silence, Leon pulled out his Rotom Phone, after all, he needed to get a second person’s advice on this- and who would be better than his Mum? Hopefully, she would know what to do.

* * *

Back on Route 3, Victor and Sonia were just about done with their curry. Scorbunny and Butterfree both excitedly jumped around. Victor found himself quite proud of himself, not only was the fire a perfect heat, the ingredients were giving off a very delicious smell. With a wide smile, Victor continued to stir the pot. Nearby, Sonia was gently humming to herself as she prepared the plates and bowls for the curry with her trusty Yamper.

Victor found his eyes leaving his curry at the sound of Yamper barking, rather loudly. Chocolate eyes landed on a rather interesting sight, it was a Hatenna, a Pokemon never typically found in this location. The Pokemon was hiding behind a nearby tree due to Yamper’s barking. Along with Sonia, Victor rushed over, and within moments Yamper calmed down with Victor crouched next to the scared Pokemon.

With a slow reach of his hand, Victor smiled at the Hatenna, “ _Hey, my name is Victor. I am guessing you got separated from your trainer? Aren’t they the one who wears all pink?_ ” Now Victor wasn’t sure if the Pokemon understood him, but after a few moments, it slowly poked out from behind the tree. It seemed as though the creature was starting to trust Victor for some reason. Anyhow, within moments, Victor had the Pokemon in his arms and was walking back to the camp. Shortly after, the brunette trainer served each Pokemon their serving of the curry. It seemed to be a rather sweet batch, which seemed to be a big hit with Butterfree and Hatenna. 

Just as Sonia and Victor were beginning to clean up their campsite, a rather bright pink trainer entered Victor’s sight. They looked extremely worried and their hair was even fluffier than normal. Victor began to open his mouth to call out to the other, but Yamper once again beat him to it. Now it was the other trainer’s turn to jump at the barking. Thankfully, Yamper only seemed to be trying to get their attention, so the Pokemon quickly stopped.

Victor’s eyes met the other’s eyes once again, and this time he felt a somewhat weak chill pass through him, perhaps it was due to the worried expression that covered their violet eyes. The other trainer crossed the field, dodging the wild Pokemon in their way, “ _Hey, have you seen a pink Pokemon anywhere? She is about the same height of a Yamper-_ ” Whatever the other trainer was about to say melted off of their tongue when Hatenna began racing towards them.

With a look of pure relief, the other trainer quickly picked up their Pokemon. Instantly the fluffy-haired trainer began to examine their Pokemon for any wounds, which only caused their Hatenna to gently giggle at being looked all over. Victor finally found words to speak, “ _She came around here about 10 minutes ago. I think she may have come here because of the smell of our curry. She seemed to like it._ ”

The trainer seemed to be satisfied with their check over and finally met Victor’s gaze once again. Their eyes scanned up and down Victor’s frame, “ _You're the trainer who used their Pokedex to scan my Hatenna before the Opening Ceremony yesterday. It seems you changed your clothes too, how am I to know you were trying to intentionally steal my Pokemon?_ ”

Before Victor could even respond, Hatenna looked up at her trainer, before slapping her hairlike arms against his chest. This made the pink trainer stop, a wave of embarrassment covered his face before he quickly calmed himself, brushing a hand through his hair, “ _Ah. I apologize. If that was your intent you wouldn’t have been so willing to give her back._ ” Finally feeling a bit comfortable around the other, Victor began to speak, “ _Think nothing of it, if anything, take it as an apology for scanning your Pokemon and rudely not saying anything to you._ ”

Victor reached his hand out, a small smile on his face all the while, “ _My name is Victor- what’s yours?_ ” Instantly, the pink trainer shook Victor’s hand, but afterward quickly pulled his hand back, he seemed almost confused at why he mirrored the action, “ _My name is Bede. We may be friendly right now, but if you get in my way, I won’t hesitate to take you down._ ” Instead of being intimidated, Victor just smiled at the blond, putting his hands on his hips even, “ _I plan on becoming the Champion myself, so I guess that makes us rivals, huh?_ ” With a smile of his own, Bede stepped closer, a wide grin on his features as he quickly retorted, “ _Oh? Well, I was endorsed by the Chairman himself! I heard rumors that the Champion endorsed you as well as his brother this year._ ”

All the while, Sonia watched from afar, she saw the subtle signs both boys didn’t see. She saw the softly flushed cheeks, the embarrassed laughs, the sparks dancing between them. This was a newfound passion that neither knew was going on. Silently, she hoped everything would work well between the new rivals.

* * *

After helping clean and put everything away, Bede went up ahead, claiming he had to find something in the Mine for the Chairman. Meanwhile, Sonia finally approached Victor once again, who seemed to have completely forgotten about the female there. With a look of shame mixed with embarrassment, Victor’s chocolate eyes went down, “ _Ah sorry about that Sonia. I guess I got a bit distracted there. Bede seems like a very interesting person._ ”

Sonia quickly placed a hand onto his shoulder, a wide smile on her face the whole while, “ _Don’t worry! It’s quite alright, this Gym Challenge is supposed to help you make connections that could last a lifetime. Us adults are supposed to help you guys succeed. I really must be going now, but let me say we make a mean curry together, would you mind doing that again with me sometime?_ ” With a chuckle, Victor happily nodded, excitement filling his bright eyes, “ _Would I? I would love to! Until next time Sonia._ ” Both trainers waved at each other as they parted ways, Victor towards his next Gym Challenge, and Sonia back towards Motostoke City. 

Meanwhile, Bede continued towards the Mine, his rather unplanned interaction with that trainer sent his head-spinning. He knew his emotions- he knew what he was feeling was akin to one getting a crush, however, he couldn’t figure out why this was happening. Next time Bede saw Victor, he would challenge him to a battle- after all, Pokemon battles are the best way to see one’s personality and true heart. Hopefully, Bede would see him soon.

**Chapter 2 - End**


	3. Onward Through the Mine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as a little warning, I added a little headcanon here about Bede's backstory in order to make him a bit easier to write. This chapter also mainly focuses on Bede and Victor- next chapter will be mainly Hop and Victor. I am trying to balance the interactions between the two choices as much as I can. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

After parting ways with Sonia, Victor found his feet moving faster, after all, he was so close to reaching the next town. If he moved quickly, perhaps he could reach the next town before nightfall. His energy seemed to be filling his own Pokemon with excitement, seeing as Scorbunny’s Pokeball let out a few shakes itself. Normally Victor would let his Pokemon out, but since their next destination was a rather dark cave, the trainer didn’t feel as safe. Instead, Victor gave Scorbunny’s Pokeball a few gentle pats, “ _Hey I am sorry Scorbunny. I don’t know this cave too well and I don’t want you to get lost._ ” That seemed to calm the Pokemon, which stopped trying to escape from it’s home.

Now Victor wouldn’t say he was afraid of caves or anything, but this was the first truly unfamiliar area on his journey. Thankfully, as the trainer stepped into the cave, it wasn’t as dark as he thought it would be. Many lights, as well as gemstones, lit up the area, it was quite beautiful. Victor found himself almost star-struck in his spot. The new trainer quickly snapped himself out of his daze as he saw many new Pokemon in front of him. It was time to start filling his Pokedex once again. 

* * *

Up ahead, Bede found himself pacing back and forth, he knew Victor would be near soon, after all, this was the only way to the first gym challenge. Nervously, he brushed his hands through his hair a few times. God, he felt a bit helpless in this situation, never before had such feelings bubbled in his chest.

Now Bede would call himself a sheltered child, after all, when his parents went off on an adventure and never returned, he found himself in a foster care home. He never really fit in with the other kids, and when possible parents showed up, Bede found that was often picked for interviews but he never left the home. He heard the other boys that shared his room say how he had a pretty face but a rather terrible personality.

Bede had completely given up ever getting adopted when one day an up and coming political man showed up the facility, he had his assistant with him. She looked rather beautiful herself, but that didn’t interest Bede at all. Instead of gawking over either of them, Bede found himself rereading one of his most prized possessions, a rather thick book about the different fairy and psychic types in the Galar region.

He didn’t even realize he had a companion until he looked up from his book, seeing nothing but a wide smile across the man’s face. In a voice that seemed to reach Bede’s heart, the older man gently asked, “ _I am guessing you like Pokemon a lot, don’t you?_ ” The child only nodded in response, before holding the book tightly to his chest. This didn’t cause the man to change his expression, however, instead, he reached a hand out towards Bede, “ _Well I like Pokemon a lot myself, why don’t we talk a little more. My name is Rose, what’s your name?_ ” In a weak voice, Bede quietly answered, “ _My name’s Bede._ "

Bede found himself blinking to himself, snapping out of his memories. Normally he never dwelled on his past, but as of recent, he found himself doing things and acting completely out of his character. Thankfully, the reason for his restlessness finally appeared before him. However, Victor didn’t seem to see him, and instead was fixing his brunette hair while he messed with his bag. Bede found himself unable to look away, but to keep face, he put a hand into his pocket, gently counting the wishing stones that shuffled around in his pocket. 

* * *

The mine was much bigger than Victor had planned, thankfully, at the entrance, there was a rather nice woman who continued to heal his Pokemon for him. It was nearly dusk by the time Victor found a light source that wasn’t artificial or wasn’t just reflected light. At first, Victor just saw the light, but that’s when someone pacing back and forth entered his vision. Instantly, Victor knew who it was- his newfound rival Bede. Now Victor wasn’t one who normally cared too much about his appearance, but he quickly brushed his hair out of his eyes, trying to straighten himself up as much as he could.

Once he was content with his appearance, Victor stepped up to Bede. The pink trainer looked up from whatever he was fiddling within his pocket, before pulling out one of his Pokeballs, “ _Hey Victor. If we are rivals, we should battle to see who is the stronger of us two! After all, I was endorsed by the chairman, and you’re endorsed by the champion. This should see who has the most potential between us._ ” Now Victor wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, thus he quickly pulled out one of his Pokeballs, “ _You’re on Bede!_ ”

First off, Bede spun his GreatBall on his finger, his smug grin only grew when Victor had his jaw fall open at how easy Bede made that action look. Victor mentally told himself to ask Bede how he was able to do such action so easily. After spinning the ball for a few seconds, Bede threw the ball into his left hand, and if Victor wasn’t about to battle this boy, he would have clapped for how cool he was being. Before he threw out his Pokemon, Bede seemed to laugh to himself, Victor wasn’t sure if the other was amused by Victor’s reactions or proud of his stylish battle entrance, perhaps a mixture of both was into play.

Bede started the battle with a Solosis, a Pokemon Victor had never seen before. Victor, who had many Pokemon in his arsenal, sent out a Nickit he recently caught. The Pokemon’s ability made it easy escaping the many rock type Pokemon in this coal mine. Without Nickit’s help, Victor would have doubts if he would have ever made it this far, after all, Scorbunny wasn’t extremely strong here and neither was his Butterfree. Victor’s Nickit was the first to move, dealing a powerful dark type move against the Pokemon. It seemed to do a lot of damage and Bede also seemed to be a bit shocked at Victor’s knowledge, “ _Ah, I am surprised you know Solosis’s type! They are a bit rare to find in the Galar region so most new trainers are afraid of him._ ” Victor just grinned at Bede, “ _Well I do my research. If you’re hoping to use the fact that I am a new trainer against me, you aren’t going to win Bede!_ ”

A wave of competitiveness seemed to cover the pair as their Pokemon went blow for blow at each other. Before either of them realized it, they both were down to their last Pokemon. In front of Victor stood his prized Scorbunny, and in front of Bede was his prized Hattena. Both trainers looked the other deep into their eyes before calling out their moves. Before Victor realized it, the battle was over. Hatenna began to fall and Bede quickly recalled his Pokemon. At first, Scorbunny didn’t even react, but after the shock went through him, the small bunny jumped into the air and even began to run in circles- it truly looked proud of itself.

Victor, however, held his composure a bit better. With a smile, he walked up to Bede offering a hand out to him. In return, Bede quickly shook Victor’s hand, speaking with a slightly irritated smile, “ _This is fine, after all, I am not at my max potential, and neither are you. I am sure next time will turn out differently._ ” Now before Victor could reply, Bede continued his sentence, “ _Naturally, I examined your battle style and strategy now. You showed your hand and I am sure to easily defeat you in an official match. I’ve already gathered every Wishing Star in this area._ ”

That’s when Bede turned on his heel starting to walk away, in turn, Victor quickly pulled out Scorbunny’s Pokeball, shooting his Pokemon a wide smile before recalling him, “ _Bede wait!_ ” This caused the pink trainer to stop in his tracks, looking quite a bit confused, “ _What Victor? Have something to say to me?_ ” This caused Victor to stop, a quick flicker of blush crossed his face before he willed it away, “ _Oh! I was just thinking we could go to the next town together. I was going to stay the night in my camp, but it seems that this Mine opens almost right up at the next town._ ”

With a slightly confused look across Bede’s face, Victor continued. He was a bit embarrassed so he began to rub the back of his neck, “ _Ah- I know most Galarians know this kind of stuff- but I only moved here around a year ago. I haven’t ever really left my town._ ” Bede quickly spoke up, “ _Don’t worry about it. I am only familiar with this area because of Chairman Rose. He used to work in these mines so I have been to this area quite a few times. I would even say I am quite comfortable around here. If you would like, I could accompany you to the next town. However, this is just a one-time thing, you can’t following me through the entire league challenge._ ”

Victor couldn’t hold back his smile as he nodded, “ _That sounds good to me Bede and don’t worry, once we reach the next town we can go our ways. Before we go too far, we should talk with the nurse that is on standby just outside of this Mine. I know my Pokemon are pretty tired, I am sure Hattena could use the attention as well._ ” That’s when the two boys began to walk out of the mine, their conversation continuing. Bede found his heart refusing to relax and that he was slowly getting more and more used to that feeling. Never before did Bede even have a rival- much less someone like Victor. _Is this normal, or was he right about his feelings?_ The pink trainer decided to keep his mouth shut for now, after all, calling out feelings that were possibly misplaced would be the worst-case scenario.

* * *

After getting their Pokemon healed up, Victor’s chocolate eyes landed on a shaking patch of grass. Now he knew that Bede was leading him towards the town, but he had to stop and see what Pokemon was there. After calling out to Bede, Victor left their side and rushed towards the grass. That’s when an Eevee popped out, and Victor found himself grinning widely to himself, already throwing out Butterfree before Bede could even stop him, “ _Bede look! It’s an Eevee! I know they are common here, but growing up I always wanted one! A lot of trainers from Sinnoh who mean anything have one of Eevee’s evolutions on their team._ ” Bede found himself watching, crossing his arms as he watched from afar, “ _I have been tempted to catch an Eevee on occasion. After all, it can add a mix to any strategy._ ” 

It didn’t take long for Victor to catch the Pokemon, after all, thanks to Butterfree’s Stun Spore, the Eevee easily found itself caught. Bede even clapped from where he was standing, which caused Victor to gently scratch his cheek. Just as Victor was about to open his mouth, another voice echoed from afar, “ _Wooloo! Where do you think you’re going?!_ ” Now Victor didn’t even have a chance to avoid the Wooloo, but Bede did. In a moment of panic, the pink trainer pushed Victor aside, and instead took the Wooloo tackle head-on.

Victor quickly dusted himself off and rushed over to the scene, seeing Bede pinned under a fluffy Wooloo. Thankfully, neither Wooloo or Bede looked hurt, but that didn’t crush the worry building up in Victor’s stomach, “ _Bede! Are you okay?_ ” That’s when the other voice joined the pair. The new trainer’s eyes landed on the other person, who seemed to wear a gym uniform, was he a Gym Challenger? _No…_ Victor’s eyes widened, the person was Milo, the first leader in the Gym Challenge. 

The red-headed gym leader quickly picked the Wooloo off Bede’s body, who in return quickly got up, brushing the dirt off of his jacket. With a sorry look, Milo began to speak, “ _Are you OK? You took that Tackle head-on._ ” With a wave of his hand, Bede nodded, “ _Yes I am fine- are you okay Victor?_ ” That caused Victor to look a bit shocked, but he slowly nodded, before a warm smile crossed his face, “ _Yes- I am perfectly okay thanks to you Bede._ ”

Before Bede could respond, Milo cut in, “ _Hmmm? Oh, you two must be Gym Challengers, right?_ ” Again, Bede simply nodded while Victor shot the Gym Leader a smile, “ _Yes, Indeed we are!_ ” The Grass Gym leader began to gently pet his Wooloo now, “ _Ahhh, I thought so. I saw you two at the opening ceremony. My name’s Milo. I’m a Gym Leader and partial to Grass-type Pokemon. I’ve been itching to see just how good the Champion-endorsed, as well as the Chairman-endorsed, Gym Challengers are. How about we find out at the Gym Stadium! I will see you two there!_ ”

Now that the two were alone, Victor once again found his words melting in his throat. His normally calm face felt hot and he couldn’t seem to look away from the intense look in Bede’s eyes. This time, Bede seemed just as unable to speak. The two finished their journey back to the town in silence, but neither felt the walk was awkward or forced. Thankfully, the remaining journey seemed to be rather uneventful. 

* * *

When the two arrived in the town, the first stop they both went to was the Pokemon center, Victor wanted to heal his Pokemon up while Bede had some shopping to do. Victor finished first, so he slowly walked up the still shopping trainer. With a warm smile, Victor began to look at Bede closely, “ _Are you sure you are okay? You did get tackled to the ground..._ “ Now Bede had a hot blush of embarrassment cover his entire face, stepping backward away from Victor, “ _I told you- I am fine!_ ”

With his smile quickly melting away, Victor noticed a few leaves stuck in Bede’s hair, “ _Hey stay still-_ ” Victor didn’t ask as he gently pulled the few leaves from Bede’s hair, and everything seemed to stop. With a fierce look in his eyes, Bede pushed Victor’s hand away, “ _I would appreciate it if you didn’t treat me as if I was helpless._ ” It felt like a Shadow Punch to the gut and Victor couldn’t help but bite his lip, “ _Bede… I am sorry._ ”

That’s when the pink trainer picked up his purchased items, “ _Now. I have a Gym Challenge to complete._ ” With that, Victor watched as Bede quickly left the Pokemon Center, and a feeling of dread filled Victor’s heart- _why did he feel so guilty over upsetting Bede?_ _Was it because they were friends or..?_ Mentally, Victor slapped his cheeks- He already had a crush on one rival, he didn’t need to be falling for both of them.

**Chapter 3 - End**

**Edit: 12-6-19**  
Yet again, the amazing AliceCrown actually drew a moment from this chapter once again! If you would like to check it out, the link is below!  
<https://alicecrown.tumblr.com/post/189447579754/some-cute-rivals-this-is-also-based-off-of-the>


	4. Preparing for the Grass Gym!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being patient with this story! I just wanted to do a quick summary of my post on Tumblr. I have done a little bit of a rewrite in some ways. I changed Victor's hair and eye color to better match the canon material, and I also changed his number as well.
> 
> Otherwise, the plot and premise of the story have not seen any change. Thank you for the continued support of my story!

With a still sad expression on his face, Victor stepped out of the Pokemon Center, and it seemed that Bede disappeared into thin air. Of course, Victor knew exactly where his companion had gone off to, that being the Gym, however, what he wasn’t expecting was to see Hop running towards him. Now Hop instantly saw the rather sour look on his rival’s face, and something deep inside his chest began to squeeze. _Was he having another symptom of his allergic reaction?_ Anyway, Hop raced to his rival’s side, “ _Victor! I knew you were fast but I had no idea you already got here before me! I just went to the Gym to see if you were there, but I found that jerk, Bede. He seemed extra jerkier than normal too!_ ”

Victor opened his mouth to try and defend Bede, but he knew Hop wouldn’t understand and only take the situation the wrong way. So instead, the trainer rubbed the back of his neck, and adverted his eyes, “ _Ah, I know._ ” Now Hop seemed interested, but instead of prying into Victor, he seemed to take a step back, but he made sure he wouldn’t forget this moment. Hop continued with his story, “ _The Gym Leader just returned, Milo’s his name. The place is jam-packed with challengers. It’ll be ages before our turn comes up…_ ”

With a wide grin, Hop crossed his arms behind his head, “ _Now I know I said we should battle as soon as meet here, but Sonia was looking for you. She wanted to ask you about something. She tried asking me, but I had no idea. She’s up on that what’s-her-face hill. You know the one._ ” Victor had no idea what or even where Hop was talking about- and it seemed obvious on his face because Hop spoke before Victor could even voice his confusion, “ _What? You don’t know the hill? Well, have a look at your map if you’re not sure!_ ”

Thankfully, like a guiding star, a very familiar Yamper’s bark filled Victor’s ears, who instantly turned and saw the happy dog waiting for him. Hop seemed to perk up as well, “ _Oh! If it isn’t Sonia’s Yamper! He’s a good boy. He’ll show you the way!_ ” With a real smile of his own, Victor turned towards the Pokemon, who instantly turned on its heel and began to run away. Seeing as his guide was quickly escaping him, Victor quickly raised a hand towards Hop, “ _I will be right back! Once Sonia frees me we can battle, how does that sound?_ ” Happily, Hop waved back “ _See you soon Victor_!”

* * *

After a short run through the city, Victor found Sonia praising her Yamper. Now Victor found himself a little out of breath, but Yamper looked completely unfazed, if anything, it looked ready to run once again. This is why Victor knew raising a Yamper would be a bit outside his skill range. When Sonia realized Victor showed up, she stood back up, and put her hands on her hips, her face radiating a blinding smile, “ _I had you come ‘cause I wanted to hear what you thought._ ” Before Victor could ask what the woman meant, she began to walk away, so silently the trainer followed after the other. Now that he was on top of the hill, the rather ancient looking design etched into the side of the hill became the obvious topic of Sonia’s question.

Sonia asked question after question, and Victor felt he answered them rather well. As a sort of reward, he found Milo’s league card now in his possessions. To be honest, sometimes Victor forgot Sonia was around Leon’s age, after all, she had a wave of knowledge that seemed to be self-taught. It was hard to imagine how much time she has spent studying as well as training her Pokemon. He truly was lucky to know such an incredible person.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Victor now had Sonia giving him advice about the next gym, giving the new trainer tips on what was and wasn’t powerful against the leader. Thankfully, with Scorbunny being his starter, he had a pretty strong fire type to easily tackle this gym. As long as he prepared, Victor knew he could win himself his first badge. Sonia’s generosity only ended after she gave Victor some revives, items not obtainable to the new trainer yet. He knew he had to use them carefully. 

Sonia began to walk away from Victor, “ _Go on, then! Get yourself to Turffield Stadium and battle yourself silly!_ ” Her eyes landed back on the monument, “ _I am going to stay here for a little while longer. I have to take some notes. If you ever need me, don’t be afraid to ring for me, okay?_ ” With a nod, Victor turned heel, giving Sonia a wave, “ _I will! Goodbye, Sonia._ ” With his eyes focused ahead, he knew he had a battle with Hop coming up, so Victor began to mentally prepare himself.

* * *

Now Victor expected to see Hop standing by the Pokemon center, so when the brunette closed in on the meeting spot and saw it was empty, he found himself quite confused. Victor took a few seconds to think of where Hop could have gone- and naturally, his eyes landed on the Gym next to him… Didn’t Hop say the line was super long? Did that mean Victor was talking with Sonia long enough for the challenges to be almost caught up? The brunette looked to the sky and saw it almost entirely covered in stars- _wow. It was getting late._

With his eyes stuck on the clouds, Victor didn’t even realize as he continued to walk forward, colliding with something in front of him. With a loud thud, Victor found himself falling forward, however, he didn’t feel any pain and instead felt a rather warm pair of arms surround him. The trainer even felt the thundering heartbeat of whatever or whoever he ran into.

Chocolate eyes slowly opened, focusing on the face in front of him. Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be Hop. Of course, after all, who wouldn’t he run into. After letting a wide smile spread across his face, Victor finally realized just how close the two were. The brunette felt the other boy’s breath against his face, and instantly turned a dark shade of red. Without any hesitation, Victor pulled away, and in response so did Hop. Neither boy said anything for a moment, before Hop pulled himself up, and offered a hand to Victor, “ _You alright mate? You were staring up at the stars and didn’t even hear me as I called out to you._ ”

With a soft laugh, Victor quickly accepted the hand, before beginning to brush himself off, “ _Ah, Sorry Hop. It’s been a long day I guess. The stars are just so pretty here, its almost like we are at home, isn’t it?_ ” For a moment, Hop seemed stuck in thought, but he quickly pushed past whatever he was thinking when a wide smile crossed his face once again, “ _Take a look at this, Victor!_ ” That’s when Hop pulled out his badge case, where a sparky new badge sat, “ _It’s the Grass Gym Badge! I got it in one try! I reckon I’m just about the greatest when it comes to wrangling Wooloo… I’ve had plenty of practice at it, after all!_ ” 

Victor found himself staring at Hop’s badge, and a swell of pride filled his chest, “ _Now don’t make it sound like it wasn’t still a challenge Hop. Even if the activity part was easy, you still had to win a battle with the Gym Leader! I am happy for you Hop_.” As if to brush off Victor’s compliment, Hop rubbed the back of his neck, “ _Thanks Victor, but I’m sure you can win this one, too. After all, you are my rival!_ ” The brunette nodded, “ _I do have two Pokemon strong to Grass Types- Scorbunny and Butterfree. I am sure they both will do their best._ ”

Just as Victor’s chocolate eyes landed on the Stadium, someone stepped through the door. Much to the shock of both trainers, it was a league staff member. Hop quickly moved so he wasn’t blocking the exit, and now stood by Victor’s side. The adult looked at the two before giving them a soft smile, “ _Hey boys. I know Hop here just won his Gym Badge, but seeing as it’s almost night time, we are going to be closing the gym for the night. If you would like, I can have you be the next challenger fresh in the morning._ ” A small yawn escaped Victor’s throat, which he quickly tried to cover, “ _Ah- I guess it is getting a bit late. I am surprised I got all the way here in one day, so I have no problem waiting until tomorrow! That gives me and my Pokemon some time to prepare._ ”

The league attendant shot the trainer a knowing smile, “ _Alright, and your Victor, right? I will have the Gym ready for you right in the morning. Have a nice night you two! This town doesn’t have a Hotel, but the Pokemon Center always has accommodations for trainers._ ” Victor simply shook his head, before looking up at the stars, “ _Thank you, but I think I will camp tonight, there is a simply lovely spot just outside of the Mine. It's a short walk to and from. Would you like to join me, Hop? We can camp just like we used to!_ ” With a quick nod, Hop fell silent once again, which began to worry Victor- _was Hop feeling alright?_

* * *

The two boys said their goodbyes to the league attendant before they set out towards Route 4. Thankfully, it was a short journey and both boys seemed rather tired by the end of it. Without really thinking, Victor let out a loud yawn, and dropped his bag onto the ground, “ _Let’s just set up one camp… I am pretty tired and I am sure you are just as tired. Well, you are never tired but- I am._ ” With a laugh Hop simply smiled at his rival, “ _That sounds fine mate. Why don’t you build the tent and I can make some curry._ ” Due to being tired, Victor found it very hard to hold back his words, thus the brunette turned on his heel and shot Hop one of his blinding smiles, “ _That sounds simply amazing Hop, thank you. I do appreciate it. If you need anything, I will just be over here, okay?_ ” In that instant, Hop’s face seemed to flash red but Victor brushed it off as his eyes playing tricks with him. 

Once Victor stepped away, the first action the trainer did was toss out his Pokemon. Now Victor only liked to carry his team, due to that, all the Pokemon he caught on the previous routes were safely in the PC box, the only three Pokemon he had on him were Scorbunny, Butterfree, and his new Eevee. In the background, Victor thought he saw Hops flinch or perhaps jump when Butterfree came out- _was that just his imagination?_ Goodness Victor seemed to be tired.

Now, Butterfree and Scorbunny tried to help Victor set the camp up, but unfortunately, neither of them ever had done this with the trainer before, so instead of helping, Scorbunny almost set the tent on fire and Butterfree constantly blew away the pieces Victor needed. However, the trainer didn’t scold the Pokemon and instead simply laughed and gently instructed the two on what to do.

Victor’s Eevee simply watched from afar, after all, she was Victor’s newest catch and hadn’t been out of her Pokeball since the capture. Despite not knowing her trainer very well, the Pokemon could feel the compassion coming from her trainer, and thus slowly made her way over to him. At this time, Victor was almost done building the tent and was searching for a hammer to put down the final stakes. That’s when Eevee showed up, carefully picking up the tool in her mouth before carrying it over to the brunette. With a wide smile, Victor gently pets Eevee’s head, “ _Thank you Eevee. I was just looking for that._ ” With a hum of contentment, Eevee sat next to Victor, watching him finish building and preparing the tent, and within no time, the trainer was finished. 

Victor’s eyes now landed on the figure standing above the boiling pot with his Scorbunny who seemed happy to help with the fire. The trainer stepped over to his friend, taking a sniff of the air- _the curry smelled good but…_ Victor knew exactly what to throw in to make it amazing. Without wasting any time, Victor rushed to his bag and ran over to the pot, throwing in a couple of berries. The smell went from good, to simply amazing. All the while, Hop watched with a surprised look on his face, “ _Ah! I knew you were always the better cook but wow! Just a few added berries, it smells so better, and I am sure the taste is going to be even better!_ ” With a laugh, Victor shook his head, “ _You flatter me too much Hop. You had the base already great, all I did was throw in some more berries. You did the hard part._ ”

In no time at all, dinner was served, Pokemon were carefully tucked back into their Pokeballs, and Hop and Victor finished cleaning up their campsite. It was now time for bed. Thankfully, Victor’s tent was quite large, after all, he insisted on getting one big enough to fit him and his Pokemon inside. Victor had his sleeping bag unrolled and Hop was in the process of doing the same. Now both in their PJs the trainers, felt their eyes begin to get heavy. With yet another yawn, Victor slipped into his sleeping bag, shooting Hop a wide smile, “ _This has been fun, Hop. I think we should camp more often. Of course, if we happen to be in the same town as each other. You are always rushing ahead of me, I am surprised you passed me! After all, you stayed back and talked to your brother._ ”

A serious expression crossed Victor’s face now, “ _But about that- is everything okay? You have been acting a little weird recently. I am starting to get a bit worried Hop._ ” Now Hop instantly spoke up, looking confident in his answer, “ _Don’t you worry about a tick, Victor! I just think I am allergic to a Pokemon’s pollen. As long as I steer clear of it, I should be right as rain. I just had to tell my brother about it, but he seemed a little confused about it. I guess he doesn’t have the same allergy?_ ”

A confused look crossed Victor’s face, “ _Well- to be allergic to a Pokemon’s pollen is kinda- rare. I would see a doctor about it, Hop. If it isn’t giving you a bad reaction, I guess it could wait, but you should get that checked out._ ” Brushing off Victor once again, Hop turned in his sleeping bag, “ _If you keep worrying Victor your gonna get a Worry Seed in your belly. Let’s get some sleep before the sun comes up, okay?_ ” Reluctantly, Victor nodded, turning in his sleeping bag, “ _Alright… Goodnight, Hop._ ” In a soft voice, Hop responded, “ _Night, Victor…_ ”

* * *

The next morning flew by the two trainers. Victor was a bit nervous about his Gym Challenge, but with some morning curry in his belly and his trusty Pokemon by his side, he began to calm down. Also with his best friend and rival cheering for him, _how could he lose?_ Once his tent was packed away, thanks to Hop, Victor and Hop found their way to the Stadium. Despite it being a bit early, Victor saw people filing into the building even from a distance, all wearing green uniforms- despite being a small town, it seemed Milo was a rather popular Gym Leader. _Was it because of his appearance, or perhaps was it the amount of Wooloo in one area that drew the crowd?_ Pushing his thoughts away, the pair made their way back to the Gym.

Now Victor expected Hop to leave his side, but when Victor’s rival followed him inside, Victor voiced his confusion, _“What are you doing Hop?_ ” Without skipping a beat, Hop easily answered, “ _Well, duh, I am going to watch your battle! We haven’t gotten to battle yet and I want to see how strong your team is! I wanted to challenge you last night, but we both were so plum tired I thought against it. Also, it wouldn’t be fair to you to challenge you when I had a badge but you didn’t._ ”

With a wide smile, Victor felt his heart slowly begin to race, “ _Hop. You’re so kind. Thank you. I will do my best so don’t stop watching for even a second!_ ” Now Victor knew his entire face was the shade of an Applin, but at this point, he didn’t care, after all, Hop never caught on before, _so why would he now?_

Once Victor walked away, stepping up to the register before walking into the locker room, Hop finally began to process his own emotions. With his face a dark red, he pressed a hand to his roaring heartbeat. _What was going on…? Was he having another flare-up? But- He hadn’t even been close to Victor’s Butterfree all night- after all, he made extra sure not to let any of its scales touch him. Is he not allergic to that Pokemon?_ Shoving his emotions back, Hop made his way to the counter, due to him being a fellow Gym Challenger, he was allowed to watch all Gym Challenges, they even had a special sitting area.

With his heart racing, Hop sat amongst the other challengers. The trainer didn’t recognize any of the faces amongst him, which meant everyone here must not have taken the Gym Challenge yet. It was a good think Victor agreed to be the first challenge of the day, after all, they might have been stuck here for yet another day just waiting. Which was fine for Hop, but he truly wanted to continue his journey, if it wasn’t for Victor’s challenge in this town, the honey eyed boy would have left last night.

Gently slapping his cheeks, Hop pushed away his thoughts, after all, he was here not to sit and think, he wanted to support Victor, and that’s exactly what he was going to do.

**Chapter 4 - End**


	5. Challenging the Grass Gym!

From his spot in the crowd, Hop felt his heart race as he watched Victor easily wrangle the Wooloo into their pens, which made the honey eyed boy sigh in relief. After all, he believed in his rival, Victor could and would win this Gym challenge. Sitting next to Hop was his trusty Thwackey, and they both were staring at the giant monitor, after all, if there was a live audience for the activity part, it could easily spook the Wooloo, so the actual stadium where Hop sat was a different location, merely connected.

The roar of the crowd and the sounds of confetti popping pulled Hop out of his daze. Honey-colored eyes opened wide as Victor’s smiling face filled the entire monitor. It was almost time for the battle. Thwackey seemed to get excited as well, seeing as he began to drum a tune on the empty seat next to him with his sticks. It seemed to slightly annoy some of the nervous Gym Challengers, but otherwise, no one paid it any mind. As the league staff prepared the arena for Milo’s appearance, a few names were called the next batch of Wooloo were already ready to be wrangled.

Hop paid them no mind and instead found himself bouncing his leg, nervous once again. _Why was he getting so riled up recently?_ Victor was going to do his best- there was no reason to worry… _but what if he didn’t?_ This lingering feeling made Hop unable to relax, so instead, he stared at the field, watching Victor slowly make his way onto the field. There was nothing more Hop could do.

* * *

Victor felt pretty confident so far, not only was the Wooloo wrangling easy, but it was quite fun! He also thought about how the trainers in the gym all wearing matching uniforms were pretty awesome as well. It made everything feel so official and it made his heart race in excitement, he was doing a real challenge here. If he won- he would be Galar’s new Champion. His dream was slowly coming closer and closer to becoming real.

As the brunette stepped onto the field, his chocolate eyes scanned around, searching for Hop, but due to the number of people in the crowd and possibly his nerves, he didn’t see his rival. Wanting to focus on the moment, Victor pushed away his slight uneasiness and continued walking. He only stopped walking once he reached the middle. Milo arrived at the spot at the same time as the trainer and turned to face Victor. A small smile covered the Gym Leader’s face, “ _My Gym’s the first one people face, so we get a lot of challenges. That’s why I try to keep the Gym mission challenging, but… that didn’t stop you from completing it, Victor! Proper job!_ ”

Continuing his praise, Milo had a serious look spread across his face, “ _Sure seems like you understand Pokemon real well. This is gonna be a doozy of a battle! I’ll have to Dynamax my Pokemon if I want to win!_ ” Victor found his mouth refusing to open, so instead, he simply gave Milo a firm nod and beaming smile, only then did his lips finally move, “ _I won’t let you down!_ ”

Once again, time seemed to zoom past, Victor. Slowly Milo’s Pokemon went down, but so did Victor’s Eevee and Butterfree. There were only two Pokemon left, Milo’s prized Gigamaxed Eldegoss, and Victor’s Gigamaxed Scorbunny. Both Pokemon looked ready to throw in the towel, but due to Scorbunny being a bit faster, Victor saw the giant Eldegoss beginning to fall, and in turn, Milo quickly recalled his Pokemon. In response, Scorbunny began to quickly shrink back to his normal size. As soon as Scorbunny was his regular size, Victor scooped up his Pokemon into his arms and began to swing in a circle. The roars of the crowd didn’t even register to the happy trainer, after all, with his Scorbunny nuzzling ever so happy into him, how could he focus on anything else.

A voice broke Victor’s daze, and his chocolate eyes slowly moved to the almost screaming voice. It was Hop. His arms were waving like crazy and he was trying to scream over the crowd it seemed, “ _Victor!! I knew you could do it!_ ” It honestly touched Victor’s heart. He knew he would never forget this moment. With his focus back on the Gym Leader, Victor gently placed a kiss upon his Pokemon’s forehead before recalling Scorbunny into his Pokeball.

With confident steps, Victor walked up to Milo’s side. Despite losing, Milo had a large grin plastered across his face, “ _That must have been a fulfilling Pokemon battle for you!_ ” Without giving Victor a chance to respond, Milo continued speaking, “ _As proof that you have defeated a Gym Leader for the Gym Challenge, allow me to present you with your very own Grass Badge!_ ”

As of tradition, Victor walked forward, shaking Milo’s rather large hands. Honestly, this exchanged showed the trainer just how physically powerful Milo was. Pushing his thoughts aside, the brunette finally found words coming from his lips, “ _Thank you, Milo, for everything._ ” With a laugh, the Gym Leader quickly shot back, “ _Think nothing of it._ ” Looking a little off guard, Victor found the bronze medal being slipped into his hand. Victor’s eyes seemed to sparkle at the twinkling medal. As Victor found himself looking at his medal, Milo quickly began to explain some facts to Victor, “ _Just so you know, Gym Challenger, you can now catch Pokemon of up to Level 25. You need to obtain all eight Gym Badges to complete the Gym Challenge and the only way to gather the Badges is to defeat every Gym Leader! I hope to see you in the finals, as well as your two friends._ ”

With that, Victor found himself being escorted out of the area by one of the staff members. Thankfully, it didn’t take Victor too long to change out of his uniform, which he quickly folded back into his backpack. Once he was changed, Victor’s eyes scanned around, but instead of Hop, Milo approached him once more. With a warm smile, Victor waved at the Gym Leader, in return, the short male waved back.

Milo’s ever-constant smile seemed glued to his face, “ _Some advice for you, Victor. The Gym Challenge has a set order you’ll need to follow. So that means your next stop should be in Hulbury to meet Nessa. Hulbury’s just beyond Route 5. Or since you’ve got the Grass Badge, you could head to the Wild Area. It’s a bit tricky to catch Pokemon that are a higher level than the Pokemon on your team, but they make powerful allies if you succeed!_ ”

Victor felt very lucky to be hearing such advice from a Gym leader, and such with a wide smile of his own, he shook Milo’s hand once more, “ _Thank you so much, Milo! I can’t begin to thank you for all the help you have provided._ ” With a small laugh, Milo turned on his heel, heading back towards his gym, “ _Thank you, Victor. I hope to see you soon!_ ” With a thumbs-up, Victor turned as well, heading towards the door. He had a new destination, Hilbury. He wouldn’t waste any time getting there.

* * *

With Hop still nowhere to be found, Victor found himself happily cruising down Route 5, with the new bike he received from a rather kind gentleman a little bit earlier. The bike made the rather long walk past the bridge into a much shorter adventure. Thankfully, when Victor didn’t want to use the bike, it shrunk down to only a fourth of its current size, which made traveling and transporting much easier.

About halfway across the bridge, Victor finally found his rival Hop. However, Hop was still a bit away, he seemed to be pacing back and forth. Not wanting to draw Hop’s attention right away, Victor packed away his bike and ran up to the other. With a wide smile, Victor began to wave at Hop, “ _Hey! There you are! I tried looking for you after my Gym battle! I wanted to let you know I heard you!_ ”

Now Hop was once again red in the face, _was he embarrassed?_ Anyway, Victor smiled at his friend, readying one of his Pokeballs, “ _I know you have been dying to challenge me. I feel like it has been a while since we last battled._ ” Now Hop’s eyes filled with fire once again, as a wide grin covered his face, “ _Yeah! Your right. We’re now both Gym Challengers who’ve earned ourselves a Grass Badge. This is the perfect training!_ ”

Without wasting any time, both boys tossed out a Pokeball each. Hop started, like always, with his trusty Wooloo. Victor predicted this and sent out his trusty Scorbunny. Due to Hop’s Pokemon’s ability, and Scorbunny being a fire type, Wooloo quickly went down after a powerful Flame Charge. After a few more rounds, Hop’s team was destroyed by Victor’s Scorbunny. With a small smile, Victor recalled his Pokemon and walked up to Hop. The trainer opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Hop quickly spoke up, “ _You’ve got strong, Victor. Seems I’ve got to train even harder from now on._ ”

As Hop drew closer, Victor felt his heart race a little, avoiding Hop’s honey eyes in favor to look down at the cobblestone beneath his feet. In a somewhat soft voice, Victor spoke up, _“I am sure that once you find a strong water type, we will be more matched._ ” With a laugh, Hop handed Victor a revive, “ _Next up is Nessa, the leader of the Water Gym! Maybe I will find a strong water type, but I want to make sure I find a good party member._ ”

The two stood next to each other for a few moments, neither said a word. After a few moments, Hop ever so gently pushed Victor back, a wobbly smile on his face all the while, “ _Well. I will see you soon. Don’t you dare lose this challenge!_ ” Playfully, Victor pushed Hop’s hand away, watching the other start to walk away, “ _I should be saying that to you, after all, I did win._ ” To add to his playful nature, Victor even stuck his tongue out, laughing loudly at his tease. In return, Hop just continued walking at first, before going full sprint down the bridge. All Victor could do was watch his friend’s retreating figure.

**Chapter 5 - End**


	6. Clearing Hulbury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for being so patient with this story! Unfortunately, life took over for a while there so I was unable to write at all! Hopefully, now that things are calming down once again, I will be able to post in a somewhat normal pattern!
> 
> I also basically threw two chapters together, that way Hilbury wasn't three chapters long, seeing as the next half of this town is actually a bit long. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story!

Thankfully, Hulbury wasn’t too far away. After his battle with Hop, Victor was happy to have most of his journey to the next town is done. His bike did help the trainer, with it, he knew he would be able to explore the region much faster. The city of Hulbury was much more busy than Turrfield, but that made sense, after all, Hulbury was a port city, while Turrfield was a farming location. Victor was planning on going straight to the Pokemon Center, but he felt his legs freeze when a bright pink jacket caught the corner of his eye. Now, Victor didn’t mean to spy, but he found himself unable to move. Instead of trying to join in, Victor simply watched from afar.

A blonde woman, in a lab coat, was speaking above a crowd, “ _Our sincerest apologies! The chairman is quite busy at the moment. Everyone, please disperse! Please leave now!_ ” The woman’s tone was firm, but not rude or scary at all. What caught Victor’s interest was the woman saying how the chairman was around- _but where?_ That’s when Victor’s chocolate eyes landed on the man standing behind her. _Was that the chairman?_

The crowd quickly began to disperse, many fans calling out different words of praise, “ _Ok. See you later, Chairman!~_ ” As if to quell any question, the man in question began to run after the fans, looking rather excited, “ _No need to rush off! I can still do more autographs! I’ll even give you my Pokemon League Card!_ ” Now that the crowd was gone, Victor found himself a bit afraid the group of three would see him, but at least, for now, he seemed to be invisible to the group. Thus, he maintained his distance, after all, this seemed rather interesting.

After everyone was gone, the Chairman looked a bit upset- but he didn’t have a bad tone as he talked to the woman next to him, “ _We need the support of our fans to keep doing what we’re doing. Chasing them off like that… Aren’t you being too harsh, Oleana?_ ” The woman, who the Chairman called Oleana, simply crossed her arms, standing straight as her tone was a bit flat, “ _Fans are very important, of course. That’s why you need to keep doing your work for their sake._ ” Now Victor found himself a bit shocked when the once silent Bede stepped from the corner of the conversation. He didn’t see Victor and instead spoke in a tone Victor didn’t recognize, “ _I promise to do everything in my power to assist you, too, Chairman!_ ” The Chairman stared at Bede for a few seconds before he began to rub his chin, “ _Oh, and you were…?_ ”

Victor visibly watched Bede flinch at that, but Bede quickly recovered, “ _Bede, sir._ ” It was obvious to the Brunette how much the Chairman meant to Bede- this entire scenario didn’t make any sense. For some reason, it began to bug Victor. Pushing out of his thoughts, Victor quickly refocused on the conversation once more, “ _That’s right! Bede! I daresay I’m impressed by how far you’ve come since I gave you that Pokemon all those years ago._ ” With a loud chuckle, the Chairman crossed his arms behind his back, giving Bede a rather amused look, “ _Will you be the one to win the Gym Challenge? Or perhaps it will be one of the Trainers endorsed by the Champion._ ” Without skipping a beat, Bede placed his hands on his hips, looking quite pleased with himself, “ _I will prove your faith in me was well placed, Chairman. I won’t lose to anyone!_ ” That’s when Victor felt the powerful pair of eyes finally landing on him. Victor opened his mouth to say something, but Bede quickly broke eye contact, looking back at the Chairman, “ _Anyway, I will be on my way now._ ” Before Victor could stop him, Bede walked away- did the blond already have the Water Badge? Just how far ahead was Bede? Would Victor ever catch up?

With a bit of a frown, Victor began to walk forward, only for the Chairman to stop him, “ _Ah, your name was Victor, right? We were just talking about you! I admit I’m curious about Leon’s reasons for endorsing you._ ” Before Victor could say anything, the Chairman snapped his fingers, looking quite impressed with himself, “ _Ah! I just had a good idea, as I tend to do! You’re going to face Gym Leader Nessa soon, yes? If you get a Gym Badge from her, I’ll hold a celebration. I’d like to get to know you a little better, after all._ ” All the while, Victor felt a bit bad. Here, Chairman Rose remembered his name but not his own seemingly adopted child. It kind of stung the Brunette. It felt a little… _unfair_. Pushing his thoughts aside, Victor hears Oleana speak up once again, “ _Chairman, we should be going._ ” Despite her words, her tone was weak, almost as if she knew she didn’t have a chance in winning this situation.

With a curt nod, the Chairman seemed to ignore the woman, and instead continued, “ _Please do your best, for the sake of Galar’s future!_ ” That’s when the man walked away, but Oleana didn’t follow him, and instead stayed back. With a serious expression, she turned towards Victor, “ _The chairman will be heading to this town’s seafood restaurant. Win the Gym Badge and join him there at once. Do not keep him waiting._ ” Without giving Victor a moment to collect his thoughts, Oleana left his side. Was this the amount of pressure Bede felt at all times? It was… _heavy_.

* * *

After walking up to the Stadium, only to be told that Nessa was somewhere else, Victor found himself walking through the peaceful town. Despite the hustle and bustle of the workers seemingly everywhere, the town wasn’t overly loud, like how the city was. It almost reminded the trainer of his town, but instead of a nearby forest, it was water here. It didn’t take Victor long to find the Water Gym leader, after all, the model was quite a sight. Her beautiful appearance caught Victor off guard. Sure, he had seen her on TV last year, as well as just a few days ago, but it was completely different to see her in person. Before Victor could speak, the Gym Leader spoke, her tone even dripping of elegance, “ _You must be a Gym Challenger, right?_ ”

Victor felt himself speaking before he even realized what he was saying, “ _How did you know that?_ ” With a small laugh, Nessa put a hand on her hip, instantly Victor identified the pose as one of her iconic poses, “ _You’re one of the ones endorsed by Leon, right? You’ve become something of a hot topic among the Gym Leaders. After all, we all knew Leon was going to endorse his younger brother, but his younger brother’s friend as well? How interesting._ ” With that, the Gym leader reached into her purse, searching for something, “ _Here you go, Mr. Famous. I already heard about you, so you should learn about me, too._ ” Nessa then handed Victor one of her League Cards, which Victor quickly placed in his League Card Binder. It was crazy to think he was obtaining first edition League Cards. After coming to the Galar region, Victor found himself rather entertained with the League Card system. Hopefully, by the time he finished his League Challenge, Victor would have a rather impressive collection.

In a happy tone, Nessa turned away from the water, picking up her fishing equipment, “ _Let’s head to the stadium. I love fishing, but I love Pokemon battles even more and I’m itching for a battle with you!_ ” With a wide smile, Victor nodded. First, he wanted to go catch a few new Pokemon, but due to the Chairman waiting, and Nessa’s offer, Victor found himself following the Gym Leader back to her Stadium. As they walked, many people waved towards Nessa, wishing her luck, or other words of praise. A small group also began to follow the pair, seemingly interested in the upcoming battle. Victor felt excited yet nervous, this would be the hardest gym challenge yet, due to Scorbunny’s weakness. He believed in his Pokemon, and with their help, he knew they would win.

* * *

Despite a large amount of water being used, Victor found himself quite glad to be perfectly dry once he finished all the puzzles. So far, his trusty Scorbunny stayed tucked in his Pokeball, with Eevee and Butterfree pulling most of the weight on the team. Despite being a fairly new addition, Eevee happily listened to her Trainer’s commands, and the two quickly became quite the team. Once Victor finished the water-based puzzle, the male found himself escorted towards the main stadium. Even before he reached the field, he could already hear the deafening cheers from the crowd. Without wasting any time, the Brunette stepped onto the field, his eyes looking around but all the while he kept his eyes forward. He only stopped walking when his honey eyes landed on a rather pink trainer in the Challenger Seats. He wasn’t wearing his required uniform, but instead, his regular street clothes. That meant Bede already got his badge- _why was he watching?_

Feeling his face heat up, Victor quickly kept walking, thankfully, the male stepped up to the pitch at the same time as Nessa did. Placing her hands on her hips, Nessa smiled at Victor, “ _Welcome, honored Gym Challenger! I think you already realize, but I’m Nessa. Sorry to have made you look for me. I don’t doubt my humble mission’s difficulty… yet you cleared it. Your mind as a Pokemon Trainer must be quite refined._ ” That’s when the woman suddenly became serious, letting her hands slip down, and her smile quickly melting away, “ _No matter what kind of plan your refined may be plotting, my partner and I will be sure to sink it._ ” Nessa ever so casually turned on her heel, walking towards her assigned spot, and Victor quickly found himself doing the same. Once both took their positions, they both threw their Pokeballs, Nessa starting with her Goldeen and Victor starting with his very own Scorbunny. He had a plan, and this all needed to go exactly to plan.

The battle blurred past Victor, like all the previous Gym Challenge. It was so hard to keep up, yet somehow Victor found himself almost acting on some sort of instinct or something. All the while, the Trainer felt those piercing purple eyes watching his every move. Victor did his best to try and shove his thoughts aside, but it seemed nearly impossible. Refocusing on the battle, Victor looked at his remaining Pokemon, Eevee and Nessa’s Gigamaxed Drednaw. Unfortunately, Victor had to Gigamax his Scorbunny earlier to take out the Gym Leader’s first two Pokemon. Butterfree did do some damage but quickly went down due to a critical hit Headbutt. With his back up against the wall, Victor focused all his attention on Eevee, “ _Eevee! I know you can do this!_ ” The Pokemon quickly turned her head, at first, she looked quite nervous, but with her Trainer’s support, Eevee turned back towards the giant Drednaw, looking ready to take it on now. 

From the stands, a certain blond was watching with wide eyes, completely shocked at Victor’s actions. With his trusty Hatenna in his lap, Bede found himself biting his lip, bouncing his leg in anticipation. Thankfully, no one seemed to pay the blond any mind, after all, everyone seemed engrossed in the seemingly one-sided fight happening in front of them all. After all, how could a simple Eevee take down such a powerhouse such as a Gigamaxed Drednaw? Not to mention, Bede knew Victor caught the Pokemon just a day or so ago, there was no way either of them had the bond required for such a fight. Despite Bede’s thoughts, Victor and Eevee, with a useful combination of Wish, Sand Attack, Baby Doll Eyes, and Bite found themselves victorious. 

As Drednaw began to fall, Nessa quickly pulled out her Pokeball, recalling her Gigamaxed Pokemon as the crowd went wild. Now Eevee looked just about ready to fall herself, but before she could, Victor ran out to his Pokemon, quickly scooping her into his arms. He spun the creature and held her tightly to his chest, placing soft kisses all against her fluffy fur. Just as the Brunette pulled out his Pokeball, a bright flash came from his Eevee, who was looking at Victor with such adoration in her sparkling eyes. The crowd, once loud, now suddenly got quiet. Victor hadn’t ever seen a Pokemon evolve before, much less in his arms. It was a weird yet amazing feeling watching and feeling his Eevee grow in size, her ears becoming almost bunny-like as beautiful pink ribbons flowed from her ear and neck now. Within moments, the light was gone, and Victor’s Eevee evolved into a smiling Sylveon.

All the while, Nessa watched from afar, completely enraptured in the entire moment of it all. Despite this, she found herself talking to no one specifically, “ _How…? How can this be?!_ ” She calmly let out a sigh as she watched from her spot, placing a hand on her hip, “ _Now that I’ve battled him, I think I understand._ ” Nessa began to walk towards Victor, who quickly placed another kiss atop his Pokemon’s head before quickly recalling Sylveon. With a small smile, Nessa spoke up, “ _Continue to seize victories in the Gym Challenge with your Pokemon. You have an incredible spirit that may even be strong enough to challenge the Champion._ ”

Once the pair reached the center, Nessa continued her short monologue, “ _You and your Pokemon are indeed deserving of this Gym Badge._ ” The Gym Leader then reached her hand out, quickly shaking Victor’s hand, handing him his badge all the while. Normally, the male would try and say something, but due to his overwhelming feelings at that moment, the brunette found himself speechless, only able to mutter out a quick, “ _Thank you Nessa-_ ” Still shaking his hand, Nessa gave Victor some advice, “ _You’ll want to challenge the Fire Gym Leader next. As you and your Pokemon are now, he’ll want to battle you._ ” With a curt nod, Victor pulled his hand back, placing his badge in his case before stepping off the field.

* * *

Once the male found himself dressed in his normal clothes, Victor’s first thought was to throw out his Pokemon to enjoy some time in the seaside town, but Oleana’s words quickly filled his mind. Hopefully, he didn’t have the chairman waiting for too long. Before Victor could leave the stadium, Bede stepped in front of him. Neither boy said anything for a few moments before Bede looked away, muttering out, “ _I… Apologize for my rudeness. I realize that you were trying to be kind, but I would prefer if you don’t treat me like I am weak._ ” Quickly raising his hands, Victor shook his head, “ _No, No! You shouldn’t be apologizing. I am the one who should be, I am sorry that I made you feel bad. I don’t think you are weak, I promise. I was worried when you took such a rough fall._ ”

Feeling his heart beginning to race at the memories of that day, Bede pulled his collar closer to his face, looking anywhere but Victor’s face, “ _W-Whatever. We both apologized so there are no bad feelings. I need to be going now-_ ” Reaching a hand out to grab Bede’s wrist, Victor tried to stop the other, “ _Hey- The chairman wants to have lunch with me. Why don’t you join us? It would make me a bit more comfortable if someone I knew was with me._ ” Unable to fight back that, Bede let out a soft sigh, letting hand drop, causing Victor to let go, before shooting the other a small smile, “ _Well when you ask me like that, how can I say no?_ ” Unknowingly, Victor flashed Bede one of his blinding smiles, quickly walking away from his companion, “ _Well come on! They waited for me this long, I don’t want to keep them!_ ”

It felt nice to have Bede back- Victor just hoped he wouldn’t set the other off again. After all, pushing aside his mixed feelings, Bede seemed to be a rather nice guy at his core, he just had a lot of layers you needed to get past, and thankfully, Victor is rather patient with these kinds of situations.

**Chapter 6 - End**


	7. Lunch with the Chairman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for continuing to stick with me! I still have inspiration to write, but I will be honest and admit some games have caught my eye and stolen my attention (Pokemon DLC 1 and Ghost of Tsushima) but I really want to get this done so I can write the cute off stories I have planned! 
> 
> As always, any/all comments/kudos are greatly appreciated!

With a warm smile, Victor began to walk out of the Stadium only to have Oleana standing just outside the building. The happy air between the two challengers quickly filled with tension. Just as Victor began to tear down the blond’s wall, it seemed they were just as quickly being replaced. With a small frown, Bede stood straight, his shoulder’s square even, keeping his eyes respectfully glued downward. Despite Bede being next to Victor, Oleana blatantly ignored him, “ _Do not keep the Chairman waiting. Head to the seafood restaurant- The Captain’s Table._ ” Stepping up to the youth Oleana held out her hand, which had a pristine card between her fingers, “ _So you will not forget the chairman’s face, I will give you one of his League cards._ ”

The chocolate haired male nodded, quickly pulling his card binder from his backpack as the woman continued to speak, “ _Chairman Rose is the kind of man who gets downhearted if he doesn’t take care of things he needs to right away._ ” Clearing her throat, the older woman gently swayed in her spot, her eyes still locked on Victor, who was quickly putting his binder away. Her voice cut through the silence, “ _Go to the seafood restaurant as soon as possible, so as not to keep the chairman waiting._ ”

Without any warning, the woman spun on her heel, walking away without another word. This is when Bede finally let out the breath he had been holding, his shoulders falling back down all in the same moment. Victor instantly turned his head, looking a bit concerned for his companion, however, he knew better than to voice his concerns, after all, he didn’t want Bede to close himself up again.

After a few moments, Bede finally spoke up, his eyes still glued to the ground, “ _Sorry about that- I don’t know why but for some reason I just get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much. Thankfully we don’t have to interact much, but I still don’t want to disappoint her. I never want to disappoint her or the Chairman, after all, I owe so much to them._ ” Before Victor could speak, Bede began to walk away, sliding his hands into his pockets “ _Well, let’s get going. We don’t want to keep him waiting after all._ ”

Shaking his head weakly, Victor raised his voice, quickly rushing to return to Bede’s side, “ _Yeah- I need to stop off at the Pokemon Center real quick, my team took a real beating. I should have maybe trained a little bit more for this one._ ” Before Bede could stop himself, words quickly spilled from his lips, “ _You were amazing out there._ ” At the blond’s words, Victor found himself freezing, a small blush of embarrassment covered his face, “ _Do you really think that?_ ”

The blond stopped a few steps away from Victor, facing away from the brunette as he slowly nodded his head, hiding his face the whole while, “ _Well yeah. I don’t know anyone else who could have done what you did today. You just caught that Eevee a day or so ago, right? Not only did you have enough of a bond to have her evolve, but you two conquered one of Galar’s Gyms together. You were amazing._ ” Finally turning around, Bede had his left hand over his face, hiding most of his slightly pink face, “ _D-Don’t take this the wrong way! I only watched you in hopes of finding some sort of weakness! I am only admitting that you are beginning to become a fair challenge for me!_ ”

Letting out a loud, nearly booming laugh, Victor had to hold his stomach, as tears pricked his eyes. Normally, Bede would get insulted at someone laughing at him, but for some reason, the laughing felt ever so innocent, and slowly the blond found himself laughing as well. After a few moments, Victor placed a hand on Bede’s shoulder, using his free hand to wipe away his tears, “ _I am interested in hearing about this apparent weakness you have found, but we are starting to get a little late. Are you coming with me to the Pokemon Center or are you going to meet up with the Chairman?_ ”

A look of honest thinking passed over Bede’s face, who quickly went over each option. With a small frown, Bede crossed his arms, “ _I should go ahead, that way they know you are on your way. They should understand that you want to heal up your Pokemon. After all, I am sure they watched your match. It would be foolish to ignore that._ ” Letting his arms come undone, Bede held his arm up, turning on his heel before starting to walk towards the restaurant, “ _See you there, Victor._ ” Letting a warm smile pass over his face, which he knew Bede couldn’t see, Victor waved back at his friend, “ _See you there, Bede._ ” The brunette quickly picked up the pace, after all, he had a few tasks he needed to do, and he didn’t want to keep Bede or the Chairman waiting.

Neither of the boys noticed the pair of golden eyes watching from just around the corner. A sharp tsk escaped his lips as he marched towards the Gym. _Not only did he miss his best friend’s arguably hardest gym battle to date, but Victor also seemed to be becoming buddy-buddy with the jerk, Bede!_ Well, Hop would make sure that the next couple of routes he would stick with his friend, hopefully, Victor would get to see how much a jerk Bede was.

* * *

It only took roughly ten minutes, but Victor quickly found himself stepping into the fancy restaurant. Now, he had been to many cafes before but this place seemed a bit more upscale than he was used to. Making sure his clothing was straight, Victor let his eyes search for the Chairman. Thankfully, the male was quite easy to find, even when wearing a disguise. Just as Victor was about to speak, he found the Chairman beating him to the punch, calling out in the nearly empty building, “ _Victor! Let’s celebrate your recent victory!_ ”

Stepping away from the Chairman, Sonia gave Victor a friendly wave before fiddling with her hair, “ _Oh, were you invited, too?_ ” Rose instantly shot Sonia a confused look before voicing his confusion, “ _You two know each other? That’s great!_ ” Letting a warm smile cover his face, the Chairman swept his arm behind him, taking a step to the side to show off the table, “ _Come now- please be seated!_ ” In the chair near the window, Victor saw his friend Bede sitting, staring out the window. However, when Victor’s reflection filled the window, Bede quickly turned, blinking a few times before offering a very weak wave. In return, Victor smiled a little, waving back just as weakly.

Fighting his urge to sit across from Bede, Victor took the seat across from the Chairman, after all, he didn’t want to be rude and ignore the man in favor of his friend. Sonia shot Victor a knowing smile and a quick wink, before sitting across from Bede, offering him a polite smile, “ _Bede here was just telling us all about your battle! We, of course, we're watching the battle here, but having a first-hand account shows how different the experience can be!_ ” A small wave of blush covered Bede’s face as he turned back around, facing the window once again, and Victor felt a bit bad for his friend, “ _Hey, don’t worry. I am sure once I see one of Bede’s battles, I will be the same._ ”

A look of pure happiness covered Bede’s face, which Victor saw in Bede’s reflection, but before he could say anything else, the Chairman sat down and brought his hands together. In an instant, Victor found himself instantly listening. In a calm voice, the Chairman quickly began to speak, “ _Hulbury is a seafood town. Naturally, if one is going to eat here, the obvious choice is the local cuisine! Everything on the menu is delicious._ ”

Cutting his monologue off, the Chairman looked at Sonia, bringing his cup of water to his lips, taking a small drink, “ _By the way, how is Professor Magnolia getting on? I’m quite indebted to her, you know. She was the one who figured out how to unleash the power of Wishing Stars and use that power to Dynamax Pokemon. We would never have been able to create Dynamax Bands without her._ ” At the mention of the wishing stars, Bede suddenly stiffened up, becoming a bit tense before looking at Sonia with a bit of wonder in his eyes. Victor barely caught the blond’s actions before he quickly pushed himself to sit straight, looking nearly like a mini Chairman. Sonia, however, didn’t seem very appreciative of the question, and let out a soft sigh in response, “ _She was saying that there’s still so much we don’t know about Dynamaxing. It’s causing her some worry. She even made me take a Power Spot Detector with me when I started traveling._ ”

Victor quickly caught on that maybe Sonia wasn’t as happy about how Dynamaxing was affecting battles in the Galar region. However, wanting to be polite still, he kept his mouth shut, silently listening to the adults talking around him. Rose seemed to become interested in her words and began to lean forward, his eyes poking out from behind his sunglasses, “ _A Power Spot Detector! That’s the device that allowed me to discover the Power Spots. Locations that emit Galar particles and allow Pokemon to Dynamax!_ ”  After catching himself, the Chairman cleared his throat, sitting back in his seat as he pressed a hand to his lips, talking to himself as well as Sonia, “ _I don’t like hearing that Professor Magnolia is so worried, though. If only there were something I could do. Sonia, it may be good for you to visit the vault in Hammerlocke. I believe the key to unlocking the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon lies in the history preserved there._ ”

From her spot nearly in the corner, Oleana spoke up, which spooked Victor into jumping a little, after all, he nearly forgot the other adult was there. Bede saw this and had to press a hand against his mouth to stifle his laugh. Instantly, Victor shot his friend a glare as he politely quieted down. In her stern tone, Oleana pulled out her Rotom phone, quickly writing down a note, “ _Understood, Chairman. I will arrange a meeting with Ms. Sonia. However, I believe it is about time we got going, Chairman._ ”

Turning around, the Chairman instantly began to pout, causing Victor to blink a few times, clearly a bit shocked and from the corner of his eye, he noticed Bede share the same reaction, that was suspicious. In a nearly childish tone, the Chairman spoke up, “ _Hm? But I’ve hardly had a chance to speak with Victor!_ ” After letting out a small sigh, the Chairman sighed, “ _It’s regrettable, but I suppose it can’t be helped. If something needs to get done, there’s no time like the present, after all!_ ”

Pushing himself out of his chair, the Chairman smiled at the group, “ _In any case, I bid you all farewell._ ” Turning his attention to Bede, he gave the male a slightly strict frown, “ _Continue with what I asked of you. I know you won’t let me down._ ” Looking back at the Chairman equally as serious, Bede nodded, “ _Of course sir. I promise I will do everything in my power to support you._ ” With that, the Chairman and his assistant left, and slowly the group stood up as well, none of them seemed too interested in ordering anything.

Bede was the first to walk towards the door, “ _Victor, I need to head off. I will meet up with you soon, okay?_ ” Shooting his friend a blinding smile, Victor nodded his head, “ _Sounds good!_ ” That’s when Victor found himself all alone with his mentor like friend Sonia. She had a small smile on her face, but it was quickly turning into a frown as even a sigh escaped her lips again, muttering to herself, “ _Does he think he’s doing me a favor? He’s right that the vault would be a good place to look for info on the legends, but…_ ”

Cutting herself off, as if realizing that Victor was next to her, Sonia smiled brightly, “ _You got the Water Badge, yeah? Defeating Nessa’s no small feet. Here’s a TM as a reward!_ ” Before Victor could speak up, he found Sonia quickly handing him the TM before he could even protest. Once again, the male slipped his backpack over his shoulder, reaching in it for his TM Case, after all, he wanted to ensure no harm came to this gift.

As he carefully squirreled away his gift, Sonia continued to speak, placing a finger to her chin in quick thought, “Nessa’s a good friend. Perhaps I should drop in on her. You should go catch up with your friend. Until next time, Gym Challenger!” Nodding with a tiny flash of embarrassment, Victor followed the female towards the door.

* * *

When they stepped outside, they both were shocked to see Hop just outside the building, racing towards the building they just stepped out of.  Victor found himself instantly smiling, which Hop quickly reciprocated, “ _Victor! You’ve got both the Grass Badge and the Water Badge by now, right?_ ” The chocolate haired male nodded, adjusting his bag.  Hop took that as his cue to continue talking, stepping a single step towards his friend, “ _In that case, we’re both headed for Motostoke and the Fire Gym Leader, Kabu!_ ” Leaning back, Hop crossed his arms behind his head, shooting Victo _r a playful grin, “How about I share with you a little tip about that Leader Kabu? From what I heard, he’s holed up now in Galar Mine No. 2, undergoing some special training!_ ”

Letting his arms fall back down, Hop continued speaking, a clear grin covered his entire face, “ _If he’s in there, then we can’t take him on in Motostoke even if we zip right over there- putting the breaks on our Gym Challenge, so I say we head to Galar Mine No. 2 ourselves! Let’s go see what all the fuss is about!_ ” Nodding happily at his friend before Hop and himself raced down the hillside, laughing with each other as they made their way to the mine.

Neither boy noticed how easily Sonia slipped away from them both, watching from a distance. The woman saw so many similarities between Hop and his older brother, it was almost a bit painful. _What path would Victor follow, Sonia’s own, or would he carve something different?_ With confident steps, the female walked towards the Water Gym, after all, she was sure her friend needed some comfort after losing at least three challengers within a short period.

**Chapter 7 - END**


	8. Important Anouncement!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please Read!

_Hello! I normally don't make posts like this- so please bear with me on this._

_Now, I previously had a preconceived idea on how I wanted the story of this game to play through, however, with the addition to the DLC, my ideas have been kind of derailed. I 100% plan on finishing this story, but I am going to have to revise nearly everything I have finished thus far._

_I am unsure how to proceed, and I would like your suggestions!_   
_Should I completely delete this specific IP and start a new, should I abandon this one, and simply carry the information over, or should I simply delete the chapters as they are and replace them with the correct versions of them?_

_Personally, I think it would be best to either delete this entire story off of here and simply renew it as its own post or simply abandon it and start a new one. The latter allows all the fantastic comments that were left here to well- stay alive this way. I would have to rename the story here, as to not confuse it with the updated version._

_Please let me know by commenting below!_

_I also want to thank everyone who has stuck with me since I started writing this :) I honestly appreciate every single one of my readers- Once I have made a decision, I will promptly start to follow through with it! I hope that now with all the DLC finally out, I can properly write the story without having to twist it over and over for the canon to fit!_


End file.
